On the Origins of Species…

Since it was published in 1859, Darwin’s On the Origins of Species, or, to give the work its full name, On the Origins of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life – my word, those Victorians were fond of a lengthy title!- has proved to…

Here be dinosaurs: An adventure in the American Museum of Natural History

With the planetarium, dinosaurs and diorama galore (as well as a starring role in the Night at the Museum franchise) I was expecting big things from the American Museum of Natural History. That’s Big Things both metaphorical and literal, and you know what? I wasn’t disappointed. It was early on a grey autumn morning, with…

Museums and the Movies: One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing

“Dinosaurs” as the wonderful Jamie Glavic once declared, “are the gateway drug to all things awesome.” With that in mind, let’s take a look at the latest edition of Museums and the Movies. Previously we’ve explored how an apprentice witch utilised a museum’s collection to defend Great Britain from a Nazi invasion and how some…

Exploring the Sedgewick Museum

There must be an unwritten rule somewhere that all Natural History Museums *must* be  architecturally stunning.I’m constantly and consistently blown away by all the detailed wonder of London’s Natural History Museum. The Oxford University Museum of Natural History is also a sight to behold (check out that roof!). Although not quite in the same awe-inspiring…

Land of Dead Giants

Before I get to the 23 metres long, 12 metre high brachiosaurus that towers over you in the Museum fur Naturekunde’s atrium like a supersized version of the Natural History Museum’s mascot Dippy,  I’m going to pause this adventure at the foyer. Hehe I said “pause”. Sorry that will make sense in a few seconds,…

Dinos and Dodos: Oxford University Museum of Natural History

There’s something about Dinosaurs that really brings out the kid in me. I’m not really sure why, it’s hard not to feel like a youngling next to something so big and so old, maybe it’s because they bring back warm fuzzy memories of trips to the Natural History Museum when I was a child. As…